Laundry-sorting apparatus



Feb. 18, 1930. w, FROTHINGHAM ET AL 1,748,042

LAUNDRY SORTING APPARATUS Filed y .1929 '2 Sheets-Shget l M P P M H fiwezvtors I 1 (.1 flilliallaflF'oflaizybanz 1 IkouuwWFzyZ/uiey/mm F 1930- w. A. FROTHINGHAM EI'AL LAUNDRY SORTING APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ila/ 57012) mlllallzflflvlfguyham mlylzallz Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -WILLIAM: A, FROTHINGHAM AND THOMAS W. FBOTHING-HAM, OF PORTLAND, MAINE LAUNDRY-SORTING APPARATUS .Application filed May 2, 1929. Serial No. 359,858.

' .This invention involves a method of and apparatus for re-assembhng into their original groups-or lots units whichfhave been indiscriminately" commingled for the performance of some particular operation or operations upon them and later must be recollected into their original groups. For the purposes of this application we shall discuss our invention in its adaptation to the assorting, or re-grouping of articles of laundry in which use itfin'ds' a field of immediate utility. It is. to be understood however that this 1 treatment is purely illustrative and in no way limiting and that thermethod and apparatus, constituting ,our invention may be adaptedto various arts without'departing from fundamentalprinciples.

20' listed'to pin or otherwise attach to all of the Under one system of modernlaundry operation, it is customary as each bundle or lot ofsoiledlaundry is opened, checked and articlescomprised in such lot tags or markers allbearing the same identifying number. These'tags or markers remain afliXed t0 the articles in that particular lot duringthe subi sequent operations of washing, rinsing, etc.

and enable the assorterfinally to re-assemble all the articles comprised in that lot for return to the owner.

One characteristic objection tosuch m'eth odfhowever has been that the assorter has no means of knowing how many articles were comprised in any particular lot and consequently cannot be certain until all of the articles inv all of the lots have been checked 1 1 whether or not all articles of a particular lot have been accounted for,

vTo the end' therefore of OvercomingEthis objection, we have devlsed our present lnvention. According to 1t, we provlde means which are so associated with the operation of assorting as visually to indicate at all times to the assorter the total number of arti cles in any lot so that she may know instant- 1y and at 'a glance how many articles of any izing indicators, we provide an assorting or manner of use of our totalizing indicators.

particular lot are outstanding. Theuse of these totalizing indicators is so related to the use of the numbered markers or tags for the individual articles and with the numbered collection arms of the assorting or regrouping drum as to enable the assorter by simply counting the articles in any particular lot which have actually been re-grouped and comparing with the indicated total for such group to know instantly the number of articles outstanding in that particular lot or group. This makes for an accuracy of check never heretofore attained and avoids shortages and improper mixing of articles of dif ferent lots, since the operative will know at once whether she has too few or too many articles on any particular lot-number suspension arm of the assorting drum.

In conjunction with the use of such totalre-grouping drum which is especially de signed for the successful practice of our method and which constitutes at once an efficient and convenient apparatus for the assorting and re-grouping of the articles according to their lot numbers.

As illustrative of our invention we show in the accompanying drawings apparatus I for the practice thereof which we have found highlysatisfactory in use and well adapted for the purposes intended.

In the drawings Figs. land 2 are respectively a top plan and a central vertical section through an as sorting or re-grouping drum in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation of the assorting head, particularly illustrating the Fig. 4 isa detail view of the storage box or receptacle for the totalizing indicators.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of an indicator,

Fig. 5 isa perspective view of a numbered pin box, and P9 Fig. 5 is a similar :view'of a numbered marking pin.

Our assorting drum comprises a relatively stationary base A on which is journaled an upright shaft B carrying a revoluble head G. Surmounting the base and revolving with the head is an annular catch pan D. The head and pan are connected by a spaced series 015 substantially vertical tie rods-E including an intermediate ring F having projecting handles G by means of which the head and pan may be revolved as a unit relative to the base. i I

' The head is stepped to provide a series'ot concentric banks or shelf areas. As here shown, two banks H and J are provided. The rim of the head has extending radially therefrom an annular series of spaced suspension 7 arms K, WlllCll may be pivoted thereto as 1n dicated at L, and which are consecutively numberedas shown in Fig. 3

Each armnumber corresponds with a lot number, that is to say, when a particular bundleot clothes is opene it is assigned a lot number and each article comprised in such lot has afiixed thereto a numbered tag or pm M bearing such lot number, so. that all or the articles in a particular lot bear the same number. These tags or pinsare detailed in Fig. 5 and are kept in slotted-bottom boxes or receptacles N, one of which is detailed in Fig. 5-. The pin boxes N are consecutively numbered to correspond with the numbering of the arms K, and in the practice of our method are subsequentlyplaced upon one or the other of the banks or shelf areas H or J of the revoluble head immediatelybehind the correspondingly numbered suspension arm K. By forming the shelf areas as concentric banks, we are enabled to stagger the pin boxesN relative to each other so that each box lies immediately behind its correspondingly numbered arm KL After a bundle or lot has been assigned a lot number and the individual articles in such lot have been tagged'l with the pin markers M bearing that number, a totalizing indicator P (Fig. 4) is placed in that particular pin box N whereby visually to indicate to the assorter the total number oat" articles c:om prised in that lot. The. pin box, with the indicator P exposed to view therein, is then placed on oneof the-shelf areas or'banks H or J immediately behind its correspondingly numbered arm K. These indicators Pare stored in a-slotted bottom box, or receptacle Q, (Fig. 4) generally similar to the pin boxes and the construction of such indicators is such as to enable them conveniently to be inserted into and removed from eitherbox asoccasion re quires.

adapted to fit within the vertical slots of the boxes and a relatively broad flag or signal To this end, each indicator comprises a relatively narrow stem portionP" portion P adapted to bear a. total-indicating number. I

The lots are, of course, indiscriminately commingled during the several laundering operations, as washing, rinsing, etc., but are assorted or re-assembled according to their particular lot number, all of the articles in any particular lot numberfbeing assembled on its correspondingly numbered arm K. In this operation, the totalizing indicators P placed in the pin boxesimmediately behind such correspondingly numbered. arms are of the greatest convenience and assistance to the assortergmaking for an accuracy of checking.

not heretofore possiblein the art. xTh'e as= sortersimply notes in each lot the total number of articles to be accounted for in such lot as shown to her bythe indicator behind the correspondingly numbered suspension arm U K. If there are actually eight pieces in lot' 50 for example, she instantly, verifies this'by a glance at the 'indicatornP inthe pinbox behind th'e armnumbered 50 on which arm she will hang all articles bearing a number 50 pin tag, and when all eight articlesare present on that arm she knows without further checkup that the count for that particular lot iscomplete. "Thus shortages are instantly detected, as are over-counts, as 0 where a garment has been inadvertently hung upon the wrong arm.

The construction of the drum itself is such asmost conveniently to be adaptable to such use, since the pin boxes'with' their totalizing,

indicators, may all be displayed in plain sight immediately behind their"correspondingly numbered arms K, the apparatus may be rotated as a unit to bring any desired group of numbered arms Kinto positionrelative to the assorter,and the trough or pan D will prevent the suspended articles on the arms from sweeping or touching the floor. 7 Various "modifications in method and apparatus may obviously be resorted to within the spirit and scope of our invention asde fined by the appended claims. 7

l Vhat we therefore claim and cure by Letters Patent is: w

desire to se- 1. In a laundry sorting apparatus, arotatable member comprising stepped head adapted to support numbered pin trays," and hangerarms extending radially from said head and numbered to correspond with the numbering of said pin trays. U

. 2. In a laundry sorting apparatus, a rotatable member comprising a stepped head' adapted to support numbered pin trays, radial hanger arms disposed thereon, and an annular bottomtrough disposed beneath said 7 arms; l l 3. In a laundry sorting apparatus, a rotatable member comprising 'astepped head pre senting concentric banks adaptedto support jnumberedpin trays, radial hanger-"arms disposed thereon, said arms being'numbered to l ce correspond with the numbering of said pin trays and the stepped formation of the head permitting ea ch pin tray to be disposed immediately behind its correspondingly numbered arm.

4. In a laundry sorting apparatus, a rotatable member comprising a stepped head presenting concentric banks adapted to support numbered pin trays, radial hanger arms disposed thereon, and an annular bottom trough disposed beneath said arms, said arms being numbered to correspond with the numbering of said pin trays and the stepped formation of the head permitting each pin tray to be disposed immediately behind its correspondingly numbered arm.

5. In a laundry sorting'apparatus, a rotatable stepped head adapted to support numbered pin trays, hanger arms extending radially from said head and numbered to correspond fwith the numbering of said pin trays,

, and indicators disposable in each pin tray and indicative of the outstanding total of articles identified by the pins of each particular pin tray.

v 6. In a laundry sorting apparatus, a stepped rotatable head presenting concentric banks adapted to support numbered pin trays,

radial hangerarms extending from said head we support a plurality of numbered pin trays,

' and hanger arms extending radially from the rim of the lower of said areas and numbered to correspond with the numbering of said pin trays.

8. .In a laundry sorting apparatus, a

stepped head presenting a plurality of shelf areas disposed in differentvertical planes, a radial series of hanger arms PIOJGCtlIlg from said head, and an annular bottom trough rotatable with said head and disposed beneath said arms at a distance to receive the lower endsof articles suspended from said hanger arms to prevent them from touching the floor.

9. In a laundry sorting apparatus, a vertical support, a stepped head at the upper end of said support presenting a plurality of shelf areasdisposed in different vertical planes, a plurality of hanger arms extending radially from said head, an annular bottom trough adj aceiit the lower end of said support, a spaced series of tie rods extending from said' head to saicl j'trough and including an intermediate ring, and operating handles projecting from said ring for enabling the head and trough to be revolved as a unit.

10. In laundry sorting apparatus, a stepped head presenting inner and outer concentric shelf areas disposed in different vertical planes, said areas being of a width to receive and support a plurality of numbered pin trays, and numbered hanger arms projectin g from the rim of said outer shelf area.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

WILLIAM A. FROTHINGHAM. THOMAS IV. FROTHINGHAM. 

